


This Life

by Adamnstark



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:25:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adamnstark/pseuds/Adamnstark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an AU where stranger meets stranger at a bus stop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Life

**Author's Note:**

> Okay is there a term for happy angst? Is that a thing? I think it is. There’s no sex nor mention of it. I have no trigger warnings that I think would be applicable. I hope you enjoy, this is my first fic. **Please only read the end notes at the conclusion of the story.** :)

John is walking to the bus stop from his job as a auto mechanic. He walks to this same bus stop each day and sits on the bench, usually without talking to anyone. It's just work and home. A routine he feels is without purpose, but a routine he knows nonetheless. 

Today at the bus stop, he notices a very handsome young man already sitting on the bench. Probably in his early or mid twenties. He's dressed in a snappy suit and carrying a briefcase. John wonders why he's waiting on the bus, when surely he has his own car. John sits next to him and glances over. The young man seemed to be in very deep thought, somber almost. John notices his sharp cheekbones, full lips, and piercing eyes. Something about this man was interesting, he thought to himself. 

The young man's head jerked slightly with a tinge of annoyance. Hmm I must've been staring, John concluded in his thoughts. In an attempt to shift his focus, John pulls out a cigar and his--.his---. Where is it? John discovers he doesn't have his lighter. He grumbles at the feeling of an empty pocket while he holds the cigar in his other hand. 

"Problem?" the younger man said, sounding exasperated. 

"My lighter...I must have left it at work," John answered. 

"Well, serves you right, you shouldn't be smoking at a bus stop," the young man snipes as he looks at the cigar. 

John wondered what his problem was. "Well it's outside. It's not like you have to sit right here," John said, not intending to be rude. He was just stating a matter of fact. 

Apparently, the younger man took it a different way. "Hah," he said full of annoyance, "well excuse me for waiting on the damn bus. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't... Anyways it's none of your business."

John paused for a minute, "Well, do you have one?" 

The young man looked at him with those sharp eyes, "What?" 

"A lighter?"

"I don't smoke."

"Well, a match? Something you may have gotten from a hotel or something?"

The young man spoke as he shuffled through his pockets, "If it'll get you to leave me alone. I'll at least chec--, suddenly his eyes grew bigger in surprise, “What!?” He pulled out a silver Zippo lighter with fancy engravings. He lifted it up to his face with wide, confused eyes. "This...isn't mine," he said.

"I thought you said you didn't smoke?" John asked, confused.

"I don't...I..." the young man looked dizzy and threw his head back to help himself snap out of it.

"Are you okay?" John asked, genuinely concerned.

The younger man looked down now like he was trying to piece a puzzle together. "The repair shop... maybe somehow I picked it up and put it in my pocket?"

"Repair?" John asked.

Finally, the younger man looked at him. He glanced over John as if he wasn't sure what to make of him, but answered anyways, "Yes, auto repair. My car is in the shop. It's why I'm waiting on this damn slow bus." John thought he sounded annoyed again, but this time, at least it wasn't directed at him.

"Well, what's wrong with your car?" John asked still holding the unlit cigar down by his side.

The younger man continued to inspect the lighter, till he became alert at John's question. "Why...?"

"I'm an auto mechanic. I can probably figure out what's wrong." John offered.

"...Like I said, it's at the shop now, so no need." the young man waved his hand dismissively and went back to observing the lighter.

"Well since you weren’t at my shop, you must've taken it to Cipher Auto Stop. Aren't they closing soon? You'll probably have your car in three days if you're lucky," John remarked.

The young man frowned, "Three days...why...how are you so sure?" 

"I used to work at that shop before I took a job at Outer Tires and More. The mechanics at Cipher stink, and the management is awful," John explained.

The young man sat in consideration. 

Finally, he sighed and looked at his watch. "Fine. Let's go. It's not like the bus is coming anytime soon." He put the lighter in his pocket. John watched it with a bit of longing, and then reluctantly put the cigar back in his own pocket. 

They both got up and began walking to Cipher Auto Stop. The younger man seemed less tense now that he was in motion. John was grateful that he changed his mood. 

They walked in silence for a bit before the young man spoke up, "So what's your name?" The question stunned John. He didn't expect him to ask him any questions. 

"Oh..uh...it's John." 

The young man smirked "John, huh? Well my name is Adam."

John smiled in response to the smirk, happy to be talking to someone, "Is my name funny?" John asked in a lighthearted tone.

"No, just, fitting," Adam responded with the grin still on his face.

John didn't know what he meant by that, but they continued their walk. 

"So, John, you say you're a good mechanic. Let’s say you're able to fix my car, what do you want in return?" Adam asked not believing in good deeds without some form of payment.

"Umm," John hadn't thought of getting anything for it, but the feel of the cigar in his pocket gave him an idea. "How about...you give me a light?"

"A light? For your cigar?” Adam asked incredulously. John nodded his head “yes.” Adam looked shocked at first, but then smiled, “My friend, I'll give you the lighter if you can get my car running."

John smiled at Adam saying "my friend." It may have just been an expression, but John couldn't remember the last time he had someone call him friend. In fact...John was suddenly having a hard time remembering a lot about his past.. Everything felt...wrong...different. All of a sudden John became dizzy and stopped walking.

"John, are you okay?" Adam asked with what seemed to be genuine concern.

"Fine I just...got a little dizzy," John tried to shake off the feeling as they continued their walk. 

John took a moment then answered Adam's question about the lighter. "I don't want the lighter. I just want a light. Besides, those engravings," John said as he pointed to where the lighter was in Adam's coat pocket," they don't provide any real benefit. It's a nice lighter, though, I'll give you that."

Adam side eyed John at the comment, "Like I said, the lighter isn't mine."

"Well now that you have it, maybe you can auction it off...as a collectors item," John smiled at his own attempt at a joke.

John expected a smile back, but Adam kept glancing over at John with a concerned face as if he were preoccupied with his thoughts. "You know, I could give you more than just that lighter. I'm a lawyer. A good one. I don't really have a shortage of cash."

"Adam. Just the light is fine, thanks." John assured him with a small smile.

Adam grinned back, "Yeah, that's IF you can get the car running." 

"Don't worry, fixing your car has to be easier than it was to get you to smile just now," John said playfully back. 

The two men stopped walking, “Looks like we're here,” John said staring up at the sign. “Cipher…” The strange feeling was returning. 

An older man walked out of the front of the repair shop. "Ugh Tom," John said to himself as he suddenly recognized the face. 

The man spoke in a British accent, "Sorry, but we're to be closed in around 5 minutes…” Tom stopped suddenly, “Ah, John... it's been quite some time.. It’s good to see you again; how many years would you say it’s been?"

John couldn't recall. He just knew he worked with this man, and they didn't get along. John grabbed the bridge of his nose, trying to rid himself of that strange feeling that had resurfaced from before. 

Adam seemed to take notice of John's uncomfortable behavior, so he spoke up, "I'm...Adam. I brought my car in earlier, but I need it sooner than expected. John here offered to take a look. I understand that this may be unorthodox considering he was a former employee, but I'm hoping the right compensation will allow him to work on it in the garage." Adam pulled out his wallet and then two one-hundred dollar bills. 

Tom eyed the money then Adam suspiciously before taking and stuffing the bills in his pocket. "Okay, fine. You’re lucky that business hasn’t been that great here lately.” 

Tom then turned to John, “I trust you, John, even if you're not entirely comfortable with me." John stared straight ahead, not even wanting to acknowledge him. He felt sick.

The older man sighed then looked at Adam and handed him a key, "John knows how to lock up the garage. Just put the key in the mailbox when you're all done. He was the best mechanic we had. I'm sure he'll be able to get you going by tonight." 

"Thanks," Adam said.

Tom looked at John with a bit of sadness, "John I...I'll see you around," he turned and went back to the shop to close up the front area.

John seemed to ease up after the man left.

"Garage is this way," John said in a rather stoic tone. Adam eyed him, curious about John's past with Tom, but ultimately decided it was none of his business.

Once they were at the garage, John opened the overhead door to reveal a very expensive black sedan. "Huh, nice car, kid," John said in a little lighter tone than before.

"I told you, I'm a lawyer. One of the best in this town," Adam boasted. "And I'm not a kid...I'm 26."

John huffed a laugh at Adam's defensiveness about his age. "So lawyer, huh? Explains the bribe...and the suit."

Adam looked down less confidently than he had appeared since meeting John. "Something wrong with my suit?"

"Looks expensive."

"It was. The car is even more expensive, so be careful," Adam gestured his hands toward the car slowly.

John walked to the front of the car, popped the hood and got to work. 

As John was fixing everything, the two men talked mostly about their professions and their interests. John interested in military history; Adam interested in fictional westerns. Visually, they were a contrast., Adam in his expensive suit and John in his oil stained uniform pants and white t-shirt. They were quite the odd couple, but from just listening to them, no one would ever know it. The conversation was easy and light. Lots of laughter and genuine shared interest between the two. Adam also brought John tools that he needed and helped where he could. Together they made a great team. They noticed it as well, though neither of them verbalized it.

"Okay, get in and give the ignition a try." John said while wiping his hands with a dirty rag.

Adam got in the driver’s seat, took a quick look at everything, then turned the key. The car started running without issue. "Heh, well would you look at that,” Adam said in a happy tone. “That guy was right, you are one of the best.”

He got out the car and walked toward John. "Well...looks like I owe you a light." Adam pulled the lighter out of his pocket and John pulled the cigar out of his.

John brought the cigar to his mouth and he felt flushed. His heart was heavy. Full of happiness and sadness all at once. He didn't know why. 

Adam furrowed his eyebrows as he turned the wheel of the lighter to ignite a flame. John wondered if he felt the same way.

Adam leaned in toward John's cigar. As he got closer, John could see that Adam was feeling strange as well. The flame began to tickle the tobacco in the cigar.

As if moved by a force, they made eye contact as Adam lit the cigar. Their eyes locked on one another with both men feeling a sense of knowing and loss. Neither of them could make sense of it. 

After the cigar was sufficiently lit, John pulled back and took a drag. After blowing the smoke out, he addressed Adam, "Want to try?" John said with a slightly shaky voice. 

Adam still looked confused, his eyes distant and brows together, "Uh...yeah..why not." His voice was shaky too.

John leaned over as Adam did to meet him halfway. Instinctively, John put the cigar in Adam's partially opened mouth. Neither men were sure why they were able to do that without words. 

As Adam was taking the drag, John watched him. Emotions felt heavy around his heart. John addressed the cigar to distract himself, "This is good...isn't it?" 

Adam slowly pulled the cigar out of his mouth as his eyes widened and blew out the smoke, "Yeah... pretty good," he said slowly with a tone of realization and lightness.

As Adam handed the cigar back to John, their hands lightly touched. Adam spoke up as if he was anticipating something, “...John?!” 

Suddenly, a wave of emotion filled both of them. Emotions so strong, neither of the men could control their physical reactions to it.

John's eyes filled with tears and Adam dropped the cigar with mouth agape. They were starting to remember. 

Adam grasped onto John’s forearm. Reminiscent of how he did when they first met. Now he remembers.

Their life. Their *real* life. Groznyj Grad, the Patriots, Zero, Eva,..The Boss....each other. 

The memories rushed through their bodies as if they were physical manifestations of all the pain, excitement, regret, and most strongly, the love each of them shared. 

Outer Heaven, Shadow Moses, Les Enfants Terribles...the end of the Patriots...the fulfillment of The Boss's true dream. It was overwhelming. Both men embraced with tears streaming down their faces. Both experiencing this phenomenon of instant memory and emotion.

The longing shot through them next. They started feeling the time and space that was left between them. All those years. "John..." Adam said with all the pain that could be associated with a voice. John felt himself fall forward. Leaning all his weight into Adam who supported him. 

John laughed through his tears, “You’ve always been there. Even now. Even here.” They stayed like that for a moment. Each enjoying the other’s touch. The physical closeness they had missed for so long.

Adam tightened his embrace around John,, “I’m never leaving you again.” 

They heard a voice say, “You’ll never have to, Adam.” It wasn’t a voice that was audible. It was a voice only these two men could hear in their own minds. Both men recognized the voice immediately and looked up for the owner of it even though they knew they wouldn’t see anything. 

“It’s time,” the voice spoke again, “I told you both we’d meet again. Now that time has come.”

A feeling of weightlessness came next. John looked at Adam and never stopped looking.

A feeling of love washed over him. 

Guilt, anger, despair. All those emotions that he held in for so long left him all at once. Adam’s relaxed and happy face was in front of his, and John knew he felt the same.

He grabbed Adam’s hand as their consciousness floated toward the voice. Finally, they were both free.

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Season 6 of LOST & the sideways universe plot. Sorry if it was terrible, and thanks for reading. If you didn’t understand the ending or if you’re interested in what motivated this, check out this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BJiQLS_D0c


End file.
